Searching for Answers [OPEN]

It had been forty-eight hours since the apparent murder of the Shogun. Maki was of course among the first to be allowed to the scene, it having been discovered their detectives think not even an hour after the incident. Maki had led a small squadron of samurai to follow the trail left in the snow just outside of the village. They followed it all the way to the border, it was obvious that the person had escaped into the mountains of the Land of Lightning. So, that would be the first place they searched. Maki rushed over the border and only waited long enough to get the carrier hawk with his official writ inside.

He had arrived in the Land of Lightning not long after, and the Village of Kumo not long after that. His arrival to the village wasn't too bad, he had been stopped briefly by the gate guards but upon flashing his official papers he was allowed entrance. The tall white haired man walked through the village at a brisk pace, looking for anyone who seemed to have just gotten back from a sting mission. His red trench coat flapping as he walked, his eyes flipping from one side to the other watching the shinobi fly back and forth. His blade was tied tightly across his back horizontally, sheathed in a common black sheathe.

The fourteen-year-old boy stood, black suit donned and cane in his left hand, outside the post office after completing a rather easy delivery mission, as a strange individual walked busily through the village. The man had white hair and an air of power, but he looked different than any ninja Roku had ever met. Still, he stood proudly, with his shoulders back and chin tucked as the man walked by. He tried his best imprint the man's appearance in his memory in order to later recognize him in case he was any trouble. He stood just outside the man's path and nodded in the man's direction. He thought to himself that he should maybe appear a bit inconspicuous, but ignored the thought, realizing he was a fourteen-year-old boy who appeared to be more refined than perhaps any gentlemen that this man had ever met. Instead, he addressed the man as he neared Roku, hoping to seem helpful, and harmless. "Kind sir, I do not mean to intrude, but you do appear to be searching for something. Is there perhaps something with which I can be of assistance? Are you lost?"

Maki had been looking for a while now and had come up with nothing yet. He was just about to give up when he was stopped by a young boy dressed in a suit. It was odd to hear anyone these days speak with such refinement and class, much less someone who appeared to be so young. It would seem that the boy was a native of this village given the nature of his question, and judging by that, he would also be able to assume that the boy was a ninja. He did not know what exact skills a ninja possessed, nor did he understand exactly how the Shinobi system was built up, but the boy looked old enough to be considered a beginner to an adept Samurai, so he had no real gauge on his skills. He asked if Maki was searching for someone, and while it was true he maybe could help him in his quest, that would end in him possibly leading a foreigner with intent to harm, right to one of his comrades. So, while Maki was still in the dark about this boy and his full capabilities, he would nod, his voice rough and cold, "Yes, I am simply looking for a place to train. I am only a civilian, but I have been practicing my skills in hand to hand and with a blade recently. Is there a place like that nearby?" He figured that a good place to find shinobi who may have information was the training grounds. He assumed that ninjas used them, though he didn't know if they separated the civilian training grounds from the ninja, or if they even had training grounds for civilians.

Roku immediately wondered if the man whom had been approached by him was lying. it was true, if he was, his acting was magnificent, but he'd seemed much more serious and official before the two met, and he still had that powerful air about him... but Roku knew nothing of the man. He was probably assuming, as he was often guilty of doing, but because he was such a new ninja and had skipped most of the academy, he had very little training in determining if someone was a potential threat. Still, Roku stayed on his toes, and he kept up his own facade, which, if the man was as good as Roku was worried he might be, he would see right through. It would be sort of an impasse, neither of the two making an advance as they analyzed each other, trying to discover the other's motives while at the same time convince themselves that the other individual was not a threat.

Roku smiled warmly, or with his attempt of it, as he also had too little infiltration training. "Ah, I see, well, Master Traveler - I assume you are traveling, correct? - the training grounds are..." he faltered. The village was something of a metropolis, and giving instructions was difficult. Besides, he'd want to keep his eyes on the other individual. "In fact, it's probably best I accompany you. The way is rather confusing." Roku would then begin to walk toward the training grounds, motioning for the man to follow him. If he did so, Roku would begin to speak again, "Oh, my apologies Master Traveler, where are my manners? I am called Roku, Roku Enzoka. It is a pleasure to be of service to you. And you are?" It was odd. Roku in all respects was considered a lord as the adopted heir to Lord Joko, but was trained by stewards in his mannerisms, and often spoke as if he was someone's servicemen, until he remember his station.

Maki could see through the boy, though his confidence helped his little act quite a bit. He still had little to go on to know more about the boy, though once he gave his name and was obviously expecting the same from Maki, it wouldn't take him too long to recognize the name of one of the more well known Samurai, that is, if he was well versed in the politics of the world and knew of other countries and their clans. Either way, he had to decide to either lie to get the boy to take him to the training ground, or be honest. He decided to go with honest as he had official papers dammit!

"My name is Makiyoto Hitsugaya. You may call me Maki if you find it easier to say. It would seem that you yourself are not well versed in the layout of your village, Enzoka-san. But, I will follow you. Are you a Shinobi?"

It was one of many questions Maki had about the boy, though judging by his chakra, he was. This was his first step to learning more about the boy, just in case they fought, he would at least know what to expect. Though with his age, it would be surprising if the boy was more than a Genin or Chuunin.

Roku responded automatically, this time. He had experience pleasing those of higher stature than he, and knew exactly how to respond. Perhaps his lordly training had been useful for something - it had taught him how to kiss ass. "Ah, Master Hitsugaya. I apologize for that inconvenience. It is less, however, that I do not know the path, and more that it'd be difficult to explain it; the village is setup slightly, er - random. And yes, I am a Ninja, though I was only sworn in a few weeks ago, so I am fairly new at it. You said you were just a civilian?" The last question had a bit of a quirk to it. If Makiyoto was was paying attention, he'd catch the suspicion in Roku's voice, but that mattered little. He knew he was dealing with a Ninja now, as Roku had answered the question honestly.

The two passed a few more government buildings before they began to pass businesses and stores, before finally arriving at the training field, when Roku spoke again. "Civilians and Ninja alike train here. It's good for the morale of the village. When Ninja train publicly, it shows the citizens how strong some of us are, so that they know they are in good hands." Roku, however, suspected that it was for more than that. If people knew how powerful the Ninja who policed them were, they'd be more likely to fall in line. In his opinion, it was a scare tactic. A subtle one that could be disguised and never proven, but there was no mistaking the obvious advantages to letting Ninja train publicly, so long as they didn't give away particularly sensitive secrets. Roku spoke again, "Well... is there anything else to which I can be of assistance, Master Hitsugaya?"

He had been led to the training grounds, where he saw shinobi doing their training, practicing Ninjutsu and Taijutsu, he also noticed there were a few civilians, judging by the sloppy way they moved, doing a few exercises or practicing what he could only assume was their attempted replica of the ninja Taijutsu. His young companion asked if he could be of any further assistance, this was a god question. "Hmm, yes. Do you know of any of your Shinobi or if there has been anyone other than me who came in through the northernmost gate today?" It would seem a strange question, but perhaps Maki was looking for a friend of his, or expecting trouble? It would remain unknown to the boy unless he would ask, but while he waited and listened to the boy's reply, he would begin going through some basic movements. He was purposefully moving far slower than he normally could and with much more clunkiness than he was accustomed to, but he didn't want to give his true skill away just yet, though he was a rather good actor and kept his face focused as he went through the movements in a similarly sloppy fashion to some of the other civilians in the area.

The answer to Maki's question was a rather obvious one, and Roku frowned when he answered. "Sir, you have to understand the Kumogakure is a near metropolis and a hub for trade in the great nations... I'd be willing to bet hundreds, if not, thousands of people have been in and out of that gate today. There is no real way to keep track of them, I assure you. That said, I do not know of anything unusual happening today, and I was on guard duty earlier this morning." This question coupled with the fact that the man had been looking for something when the two had met had Roku wondering if Maki was looking for someone specific. He was rather well-dressed, but civilians could be well-dressed too... but then the man took out his blade. When Roku saw it, he could do nothing but admire its craftsmanship. He had a love for weapons himself, even though he had disdain for tradition ninja tools. Looking at the blade, the thought occurred to him that no normal man would invest in something of remarkable craftsmanship without putting it to real use, and that had Roku wondering who in the world this man was. "Master Maki... tell me about your sword. I cannot help but to admire it, as I have a love for swords as well." As distracted by the blade as Roku was, he barely noticed Maki's rather sloppy sword training.

So, upon hearing his escorts response, it would seem that his search had been in vain. To add insult to injury his escort had been one of the guards, so was telling him this from experience. He also noticed the boy took an interest in his blade, he had to admit he couldn't blame him, it was Makiyoto's finest work. It was when his sword was brought up that he lost a bit of his civilian disguise and brandished the sword for young Roku to look at more closely.

"Ah, it is a fine blade to be sure. I am a bit of a bladesmith where I am from and this is by far my finest creation. It took me years to complete, though, it has yet to see a battle, so i cannot speak for its prowess."

He spoke honestly, though he knew it would not behave as an average sword did in combat. It was the phantom blade, cutting nothing but one's spirit into ribbons. Looking back to Roku, "Are you a blade user, Master Enzoka?" It was his chance to learn a bit more about his new acquaintance. Though, his disguise had slipped a bit and he was showing a bit more fluidity in his movements now from talking about his blade.

Roku marveled as he looked at the blade. It was indeed, a treasure. It was of otherworldly craftsmanship for sure, and Roku's smile and eyes widened as if he was a small child marveling over a new kind of toy the likes of which he had yet to encounter, abandoning previous pretenses of his gentlemanly attitude. Not that he wasn't really a gentleman; but he was also a fourteen-year-old boy who liked new toys. Roku had a strange superstition about touching a virgin blade of superior craftsmanship, so he didn't ask, or make a move to touch it. But oh, how he wanted to. Somehow, Roku's smile broadened even further when Maki said he was a swordsmith, and he wanted dearly to ask the man about how the process of crafting such a remarkable blade worked, but he held back; for, of course, Maki was a stranger. His crafting techniques were probably something he kept a secret, to protect the value of his creations. "Aye, I have training with a sword, but... right now, this is my only weapon," said Roku, brandishing his Blackthorn Dueling Cane with the aluminum ball at the head of it. "I have been wishing for a unique blade however, for quite some time. I need something that fits me, and that resonates with me, and I just have not found the right fit. So I choose not to wield one at all. I also have yet to find a teacher in swordsmanship, and I am mostly self-trained." It felt odd to talk about such things with a stranger, but Roku found himself wanting to open up about this part of him, probably because he knew Maki would share his enthusiasm about swords, the perfect weapons.

So, the boy was eager to learn. Maki could see the lust to touch his blade within the boys eyes, he was obviously a fan of swords. This however was one blade he couldn't touch, even if he wanted to. The only person who could wield this blade was Maki, anyone else would phase right through it. Maki would stop running through his katas. He had yet to have any success with finding a new lead with his mission, but he believed he had run into this boy for a reason. Maybe he was meant to guide him away from sullying the use of blades in the ninja form, but to use a blade properly, as a true blademaster should. "Roku-san, would you like to spar with me? I am not a master, but perhaps I could show you a thing or two you may not have already known?" As he spoke, he spun his blade around and got into a stance of his very own creation. Standing in a fashion that was somehow a perfect balance of careless and on edge, he held his blade out in his right hand, held horizontally parallel to the ground. His eyes locked with the eyes of Roku. Part of this was to test the skill of this boy who expressed interest in fighting him, and the other part was interest in how his blade would preform in combat. "No maiming or killing of course, simply going to withdrawal. Deal?"

Roku positively beamed at Maki's request. Of COURSE he'd like to spar! He was always looking for methods he could use to get better, and there was only so far he could get by looking at diagrams and theories in textbooks without proper training. Roku began to reply in the positive, but remembered he had an appointment with the Raikage. Frowning, Roku apologized sincerely. "Master Maki, I am very sorry, but I actually have to meet someone very important, and I'm almost late. I would, however, like to meet again, and this time I'd be ready to spar with you if your offer still stands. How about... in two days, at high noon, in this place? That would give you time to settle and get acquainted with the village as well." And figure out if whatever it is that you're looking for is actually here, thought Roku. If Maki agreed to meet, Roku would smile and leave the training grounds, heading to the heart of the city. If he did not, Roku would respond pleasantly and then proceed to the Raikage's office.

[EXIT]

500 EXP